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Lbrary  of 


HOW  TO  ORGANIZE 

ROUND  TABLES 

For  Mothers'  Associations 


WITH 


OUTLINES  FOR  CHILD-STUDY 

With  an  Introduction  by  Col.  F.  W.  Parker 


BY 

MRS.  ELLEN  R.  JACKMAN 


CHICAGO  NEW  YORK 

Werner  School  Book  Company 


LBfll.9 

"J3 


Copyright,  1896,  by  MRS.  ELLEN  R.  JACKMAN. 


EDUCATION  DEFfo 


PREFACE. 

The  following  outlines  are  offered  in  the  hope 
that  they  may  be  useful  to  mothers  who  are 
attempting  to  study  their  children  in  the  light  of 
recent  investigations  along  the  line  of  Child- 
Study. 

Much  of  the  highest  value  that  has  been  written 
within  the  last  few  years  is  so  fragmentary  and 
scattered  that  it  does  not  fall  into  the  hands  of 
those  who  would  be  most  benefited  by  it.  The 
plan  of  work  as  proposed  by  the  members  of  the 
Normal  Park  Round  Table  for  child  study  for 
the  ensuing  year  is  to  assign  to  each  of  three 
ladies  a  topic  for  study  and  research,  the  re- 
sults of  which  are  to  be  presented  at  the  regular 
monthly  afternoon  meeting  in  a  brief  paper; 
the  paper  is  to  be  followed  by  a  general  dis- 
cussion, each  of  the  members  having  read  or 
observed  along  the  same  lines.  Considerable 
care  has  been  taken  to  make  the  literary  refer- 
ences following  the  subjects  bear  directly  upon 
them,  and,  while  they  cover  quite  a  large  range  of 

3 

543116 


4  PREFACE. 

books  and  pamphlets,  the  aim  has  been  to  make 
it  possible  for  any  member  of  a  mothers'  associ- 
ation to  prepare  on  almost  any  subject  by  having 
access  to  a  few  books;  hence  the  same  books 
and  chapters  have  been  referred  to  several  times. 

If  an  association  can  have  the  publications  from 
the  beginning  of  the  "  Illinois  Society  for  Child- 
Study,  "  The  Child-Study  Monthly,"  and  can 
have  access  to  the  "  Pedagogical  Seminary," 
edited  by  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall,  it  can  carry  for- 
ward a  most  profitable  work  during  a  year. 

Many  of  the  other  books  referred  to  can  be 
found  in  any  good  public  library. 

Ellen  R.  Jackman, 
Pres.  Normal  Park  Round  Table  for  Child  Study. 

Chicago,  Oct.  4,  1896. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Never  in  the  history  of  the  world  has  there 
been  so  much  discussion  upon  educational  matters 
as  at  present.  Chairs  and  departments  of  peda- 
gogy have  been  founded  in  universities  and  col- 
leges; new  normal  schools  have  arisen;  summer 
schools  for  methods  abound;  teachers'  meetings 
are  full  of  earnest  and  honest  debate  on  the 
principles  and  methods  of  education;  but,  to  my 
mind,  the  most  significant  mark  of  progress  in 
education  is  found  in  the  fact  that  parents  and 
citizens  are  becoming  more  and  more  interested 
in  the  study  of  the  nature,  growth  and  possibil- 
ities of  children.  In  this  exceedingly  profitable 
work,  they  are  getting  close  to  the  vital  interests 
of  society. 

The  kindergarten,  Froebel's  divine  message, 
has  been  received  in  America,  and  thousands  of 
little  children  are  enjoying  its  inestimable  bene- 
fits. Mothers'  classes  for  the  study  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  methods  of  the  kindergarten  have 
been  formed  in  intelligent  centers.  This  move- 
ment for  close  and  careful  investigation  of  child 
nature  is  the  true  core  of  all  educational  progress? 


INTRODUCTION. 


for,  mothers  either  as  helps  or  hindrances,  have 
the  most  to  do  with  the  physical,  mental  and 
moral  growth  of  their  offspring,  not  only  in  the 
home,  but  in  the  school  as  well. 

Education  is  an  open  question,  a  question  in 
whose  answer  lie  boundless  possibilities  for  good 
and  growth.  Mankind  has  but  slightly  touched 
these  possibilities.  Tradition  with  its  rich  burden 
of  good,  interwoven  with  illogical  conclusions, 
race,  national,  sectarian  and  society  prejudices 
and  customs,  in  the  main  obstructs  onward  move- 
ments by  fixing  opinions  and  hemming  thought. 
Teachers  may  be  fully  aroused  to  a  sense  of  their 
exalted  duties,  but  they  must  always  and  always 
reckon  with  the  mothers,  and  if  the  mothers  are 
victims  of  fixed  ideas,  then  the  more  potent  influ- 
ence of  home  will  seriously  hinder  the  advancing 
work  of  the  school.  If  both  mothers  and  teachers 
are  buried  in  traditional  methods,  then  there  is 
no  light  and  no  hope.  Home  and  school  joined  in 
one  reasonable  and  thoughtful  purpose,  would  mean 
genuine  growth  and  steady  progress.  And  this 
can  only  be  when  the  school  and  the  home  are 
one  in  purpose. 

An  encouraging  phase  of  educational  progress 
is  Child-Study,  springing  originally  from  rational 
psychology,  going  over  to  physiological  psychol- 
ogy, and  resulting  in  a  close  and  careful   investi- 


INTRODUCTION. 


gation  of  the  child,  with  all  the  mutual  interde- 
pendencies  and  relations  of  mind,  body  and  soul. 

Scientists  in  laboratories  throughout  the  world 
are  making  careful  investigations  into  the  nature 
of  the  human  body  and  its  relations  to  mind 
action.  America  owes  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall  an 
unbounded  debt  of  gratitude  for  introducing  and 
fostering  child  study  upon  our  continent.  Teach- 
ers and  mothers  have  paused  in  their  work  of 
training  and  education,  and  are  asking  the  solemn 
questions  :  What  is  this  being  whom  I  am  trying 
to  educate  and  train  ?  What  am  I  doing  wrong  ? 
What  can  I  do  better  ?  What  should  I  put  into 
the  life  of  my  child  through  teaching  and  training  ? 

The  Illinois  Society  has  organized  all  round 
work  for  Child-Study.  It  has  a  corps  of  scientists 
engaged  in  laboratory  work;  it  has  interested  an 
increasing  number  of  teachers  in  the  study  of 
children  in  the  school;  and,  best  of  all,  has  estab- 
lished Child-Study  round  tables  for  parents.  It 
proposes  to  continue  this  work  more  and  more 
systematically.  The  society  has  now  something 
like  fifteen  hundred  members,  and  fifteen  round 
tables  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  Mrs.  Wilbur  S. 
Jackman  is  the  president  of  one  of  the  most 
effective  round  tables  in  the  state.  She  has  taken 
great  pains  to  arouse  an  interest  in  the  study  of 
children  by  mothers,  and  is  well  prepared  to  pre- 


INTRODUCTION. 


sent  to  mothers,  in  her  outlines,  the  best  methods 
of  Child-Study. 

Surely  no  one  can  deny  that  mothers  should 
know  more  and  more  of  their  children.  Thou- 
sands of  children  suffer  from  disease,  from  men- 
tal and  moral  constrictions,  on  account  of  the 
ignorance  of  their  parents.  That  which  may  be 
easily  overcome  in  the  early  stages  of  the  child's 
life,  once  chronic,  becomes  a  weakness  in  char- 
acter and  an  obstruction  to  personal  develop- 
ment. That  the  mother  should  know  about  the 
nutrition  of  her  children  is  beyond  question;  but 
higher  than  food  nutrition  stands  the  nutrition 
of  the  brain  and  of  the  nervous  system. 

Society  is  now  full  of  clubs  and  associations  for 
charitable  purposes.  Temperance  is  a  central 
question;  missions  are  founded;  waifs  are  fed  and 
clothed;  in  every  direction  women  are  exercising 
wholesome  influence  upon  human  progress.  The 
foundation  of  it  all,  however,  that  which  will 
prevent  crime,  disease,  ignorance,  and  which  will 
close  the  prisons  and  hospitals,  is  the  close  and 
careful  study  of  the  little  child  by  its  parents. 
The  message  from  Bethlehem  must  be  sounded 
again  over  this  earth.  Every  child  is  divine  and 
the  highest  mission  of  man  is  to  see  that  that 
divinity  is  developed  into  its  fullest  power. 

Francis  W.  Parker. 


QUOTATIONS. 

Child-Study  promotes  freedom  and  individuality,  is 
adapted  to  bring  out  the  woman  power,  form  a  new 
bond  between  the  parent  and  school,  and  is  a  method  in 
which  all  can  co-operate.  The  glory  of  the  child  is 
unity  with  itself  and  external  nature.  The  glory  of  the 
teacher  is  unity  with  nature  and  the  child. 

Child-Study  is  the  great  sociological  or  humanitarian 
study. — Dr.   G.  Stanley  Hall. 

A  correct  comprehension  of  external,  material  things 
is  a  preliminary  to  a  just  comprehension  of  intellectual 
relations. 

Parents,  take  your  little  children  by  the  hand;  go  with 
them  into  nature  as  into  the  house  of  God.  Allow 
the  wee  one  to  stroke  the  good  cow's  forehead  and  run 
about  among  the  fowl  and  play  at  the  edge  of  the  wood. 
Make  companions  for  your  boys  and  girls  of  the  trees 
and  the  banks  and  the  pasture  land.  Help  them  to  a 
knowledge  of  all  that  is  sound  and  strong  and  beautiful. 
— Froebel. 

The  commonest  and  deadliest  foe  to  excellence  is  the 
habit  of  dull  conformity  to  the  average  life  around  us, 
sinking  contentedly  into  a  set  of  mechanical  usages  or  a 
torpid  routine.—  W.  R.  Alger,   "  The  School  of  Life." 

Modern  methods  of  governing  children  aim  to  be  in 
harmony  with  natural  law.  When  they  are  so,  they  are 
beneficial,  pleasurable;  when  not  so,  painful. 


10  BOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

The  child's  mind  unfolds  like  a  plant  in  natural  order. 
Do  not  interfere  with  this  method,  but  carefully  pro- 
mote it.  Do  not  expect  the  fruit  before  the  flower  has 
unfolded.  Do  not  expect  the  flower  before  the  tender 
leaf  and  stalk  have  grown. — Bertha  Meyer 

Let  the  history  of  your  domestic  rule  typify,  in  little, 
the  history  of  our  political  rule;  at  the  outset  autocratic 
control,  where  control  is  really  needful;  by  and  by 
incipient  constitutionalism  in  which  the  liberty  of  the 
subject  gains  some  express  recognition;  successive  ex- 
tensions of  this  liberty  of  the  subject  gradually  ending 
in  parental  abdication. — Herbert  Spencer. 

Absolute  obedience  at  birth  gradually  growing  to- 
wards self-emancipation. 

In  interpreting  children  we  can  never  rise  above  our 
own  real  or  possible  experiences.  A  man  who  has  never 
done  a  mean  thing  is  not  able  to  sympathize  with  a  boy 
who  has  done  a  mean  thing. — Earl  Barnes. 

We  hold  up  before  our  children  the  faults  which  we 
bid  them  avoid,  rather  than  the  virtues  and  harmonies 
they  are  to  imitate. — "  Conscious  Motherhood" 

The  sweetest  sight  in  all  the  world  is  a  little  child 
happy  at  its  play. — Francis   W.  Parker. 


PHYSICAL  CONDITIONS. 

The  dependence  of  health  and  vigor  of  mind  upon 
health  and  vigor  of  body  is  now  the  fundamental  propo- 
sition in  every  rational  scheme  of  education. — Chas. 
Eliot  Norton. 

I.  Clothing  of  Children. 

Infants'  dress. — The  " Gertrude"  costume. 

Difference  in  Dress  of  Boys  and  Girls. — 
Material,  shoes,  skirts,  long  wraps, 
uneven  exposure  of  body,  head  cov- 
ering, night  dress. 

II.  Care  of  the  Body. 

Bathing — hot  and  cold. 


Care  of — i.  Ears. 

2.  Eyes. 

3.  Teeth. 

4.  Nails. 

5.  Skin. 

6.  Hair. 

Simple  tests  for  defects. 

Carriage  of  the  body — Head. 

Feet. 

Chest. 

Abdomen. 

11 

12  HOW  TO  organize:  round  tables. 

III.  Food — i.  Character. 

2.  Preparation. 

3.  Quantity. 

4.  Frequency. 

5.  Importance  of  breakfast. 

6.  Likes  and  dislikes.    How  treated? 

7.  School  lunches 

IV.  Sleep — 1.  Natural. 

2.  Amount. 

3.  Hours. 

4.  Disturbances,  cause? 

5.  Relation  to  food. 

6.  Relation  to  work. 

7.  Relation  to  play. 

V.  Exercise — Boys. 

Girls. 

How,  where,  when? 
Fatigue:    The  physical  and  mental  effects 
and  the  danger  of  continuing  long 
in  any  direction. 
Home  Employments:  Their  nature  and  value. 

VI.  Bad  Habits — Cause?  Cure? 

1.  Stammering. 

2.  Biting  nails. 

3.  Sucking  fingers. 

4.  Swaying  body. 

5.  Twitching  muscles  of  face. 

6.  Mouth  breathing. 


PHYSICAL  CONDITIONS.  13 

VII.  Periods  of  Growth. 

i.  The  relative  growth  of  boys  and  girls. 

2.  The  period  of  adolescence  in  boys  and 

girls. 

3.  .The  growth  and  maturity  of  different 

organs  and  parts  of  the  body  at 
different  ages  in  a  child's  life  and 
the  importance  of  the  facts  in  deter- 
mining the  training  and  education 
of  children. 


VIII 

.  Diseases  of  School  Children. 

1. 

Catarrhal  affections. 

2. 

Nervousness. 

3. 

Headache. 

4- 

Of  skin. 

IX. 

Home 

and  School  Hygiene. 

1. 

Site. 

2. 

3. 
4- 
5- 
6. 

7. 

Drainage. 

Sewerage. 

Light. 

Neighborhood. 

Outbuildings. 

Closets. 

8. 
10. 

Plumbing. 

Safety. 

Ventilation  and  heating, 

14  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

LITERARY  REFERENCES. 

Babyhood,  5  Beekman  St.,  N.  Y.,.$i  a  year. 

Notes  on  the  Study  of  Infants.  Dr.  G.  Stanley 
Hall,  The  Pedagogical  Seminary,  Wor- 
cester, Mass.    Vol.  I.,  No.  2. 

Fatigue.  T.  B.  Dressier,  The  Pedagogical 
Seminary,  Worcester,  Mass.  Vol.  II., 
No.  1. 

Hygienic  advice  for  Homes,  Sweden,  The  Peda- 
gogical Seminary,  Worcester,  Mass.    1893. 

Fatigue.  The  Pedagogical  Seminary,  Worces- 
ter, Mass.    Vol.  III.,  p.  213. 

Fatigue.  The  Pedagogical  Seminary,  Worces- 
ter, Mass.    Vol.  II.,  p.  10. 

Outlines  of  School  Hygiene.  The  Pedagogical 
Seminary,  Worcester,  Mass.  Vol.  II.,  No.  2- 

Growth  of  Children.  Peckham,  Vol.  I.  An- 
nual Report  State  Board  of  Wisconsin. 
1881. 

American  Childhood  from  a  Medical  Standpoint. 
Taylor.  Popular  Science  Monthly.  Vol. 
XLI.,p.  721. 

A  Study  of  Adolescence.  Sara  E.  Wiltse.  Child- 
Study  Monthly.    Vol.  II.,  No.  4. 

Postures  of  Children.  Mara  L.  Pratt.  Educa- 
tion.   Vol  XIV,  p.  408. 

Atwater's  Food  Charts.  Department  Agricul- 
ture, Washington,  D.C. 


PHYSICAL  CONDITIONS.  15 

The  Nervous  System  ana  its  Relation  to  Educa- 
tion. Popular  Science  Monthly.  Vol. 
XLVII. 

Study  of  Adolescence.  Wm.  H.  Burnham,  Peda- 
gogical Seminary.    Vol.  I.,  No.  2. 

Suggestions  for  the  Study  of  Individual  Chil- 
dren. M.  V.  O'Shea.  Transactions  of  111. 
Soc.  for  Child-Study.    Vol.  I.,  No.  4. 

Nervous  Diseases  of  School  Children.  Wm.  O. 
Krohn.  The  Child-Study  Monthly.  Vol. 
I.,  No.  10.    The  Werner  Co.,  Chicago. 

Suggestions  for  Child-Study.  Dr.  Adolf  Meyer. 
The  Child-Study  Monthly.    Vol.  I.,  No.  2. 

Directions  for  conducting  a  day-book  recording 
the  development  of  the  infant  from  birth. 
Translated  from  work  of  Preyer.  By 
W.  O.  Krohn.  Tranactions  of  111.  Society. 
Vol.  I.,  No.  1. 

Essentials  of  School  Hygiene.  D.  F.  Lincoln, 
M.D.  Transactions  of  111.  Soc.  for  Child- 
Study.    Vol.  I.,  No.  3. 

Physical  Characteristics  of  Children.  M.  V. 
O'Shea,  Handbook  of  111.  Soc.  for  Child- 
Study.     Vol.  I.,  No.  2. 

Causes  of  Deafness  in  School  Children  and  its 
Influence  upon  Education.  J.  F.  Percy, 
M.D.  The  Child-Study  Monthly.  Vol.1., 
No.  4. 


16  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

The  Hearing  of  Children.  Oscar  Chrisman, 
Pedagogical  Seminary.  Vol.  II.,  pp.  439- 
441. 

Education,  Mental,  Moral,  and  Physical.  Her- 
bert Spencer.  D.  Appleton  &  Co.,  New 
York. 

A  Few  Points  to  Parents  on  the  Care  of  Chil- 
dren's Teeth.  Alfred  J.  Oakey,  D.D.S. 
The  Child-Study  Monthly.     Vol.  I.,  No.  9. 

Habitual  Postures  of  School  Children.  Child- 
Study  Monthly.    Vol.  I.,  No.  4. 

Order  of  Exercise  in  Elocution.  Chapters  on 
Bearing  and  Carriage  of  the  Body,  Physi- 
cal Exercises,  and  Breathing  Exercises. 
Frank  Stuart  Parker.  Published  by 
author. 

The  First  Three  Years  of  Childhood.  Perez.  A. 
A.  Marquis  &  Co.,  Chicago. 

Results  of  Child-Study  applied  to  Education. 
Transactions  of  111.  Soc.  for  Child-Study. 
Vol.  I.,  No.  4. 


INTELLECTUAL  AND  MORAL 
CONDITIONS. 

Children's  Rights. — "  A  child's  first  right  is  to 

be  well  born." 
i.  Duty  of  parent  to  child. 
2.  Duty  of  child  to  parent. 
How  far  shall  lives  of  parents  be  subordinated 

to  lives  of  children  ? 
Danger  of  American  hurry  and  worry.  Artificial 

standards  of  living. 
Childhood's  right  to — 

i.  Justice;     (a)    discipline;     (6)    in- 
struction. 

2.  Happiness. 

3.  Contact  with   natural   surround- 

ings. 
Questions — 1.  At  what  age  does  the  child  first 
begin  to  claim   things  as   his 
own  ? 

2.  Do  boys  or  girls  most  readily  sur- 

render their  rights  ? 

3.  Is   not    the    path    towards    self- 

goverment  along  the  line  of 

the     child's      conception      of 

justice  ? 
17 


18  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

4.  Shall  the  child's  will  be  developed 
by  opposing  desire  or  by  train- 
ing in  power  of  choice  ? 

LITERARY  REFERENCES. 

Justice,  Part  IV.,  Chap.  XXI.  Rights  of  Chil- 
dren.    Herbert  Spencer. 

A  Study  of  Children's  Rights,  as  seen  by  Them- 
selves. By  Margaret  Schallenberger, 
Ped.  Seminary.    Vol.  III.,  p.  87. 

Children's  Rights.  By  Kate  Douglas  Wiggin. 
Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Boston  and  New 
York,  $1.25. 

Conscious  Motherhood,  Chap.  II.,  Inviolate 
Childhood.  Emma  Marwedel.  The  Inter- 
State  Pub.  Co.,  Franklin  St.,  Boston. 

Rights  of  Children.  M.  J.  Savage,  Arena. 
Vol.  6,  p.  8. 

Aids  to  Family  Government.  Bertha  Meyer, 
Herbert  Spencer.  Chap's.  III.  and  IV., 
Mental  Development,  Moral  Develop- 
ment.    M.  S.  Holbrook  &  Co.,  New  York. 

Liberty  of  Man,  Woman  and  Child.  Robert.  G. 
Ingersoll.  Pub.  by  C.  P.  Farrell,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C. 


CHILDREN'S  INTERESTS. 

Indicated  by —  i.  Collections. 

2.  Plays  and  games. 

3.  Choice  of  literature. 

4.  Imitation. 
Observations  made — 1.  At  home. 

2.  At  school. 

3.  At  play. 

4.  In  the  street. 

5.  At  work. 

6.  In  conversation  with  one 

another. 
Note. — A  child's  strongest  interest  lies  on   top  and 
presses  most  for  expression.     He  acquires  his  language 
power  along  the  lines  of  his  interests. — Earl  Barnes. 

How  objects  most  appeal  to  children  at 
different  ages  through : 

1.  Use. 

2.  Form. 

3.  Color. 

4.  Structure. 

5.  Substance. 

Interest  in  the  abstract  increases  from  six  to  six- 
teen. 

19 


20  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

i.  Are  there  marked  interests  or  tendencies 
common  to  all  children,  under  normal  con- 
ditions, at  certain  ages,  indicating  a  law  of 
development  ? 

2.  If  so,  to  what  extent  shall  children's  natural 

interests  be  our  guide  in  education  ? 

3.  Compare  the  relative  value  of  induced  inter- 

ests and  natural  interests. 

LITERARY  REFERENCES. 

The  Contents  of  Children's  Minds  on  Entering 
School.  Dr.  G.  Stanley  Hall,  The  Ped. 
Seminary.    Vol.  I.,  No.  2. 

Observations  of  Children  at  the  Worcester  Nor- 
mal School.  Wm.  H.  Burnham,  Ped. 
Seminary.    Vol.  II.,  No.  2. 

Imitation  in  Children.  The  Child-Study  Monthly. 
Vol.  II.,  No.  2. 

Children's  Interest  in  Causal  Idea.  The  Child- 
Study  Monthly:    Vol.  II.  No.  4. 

Talks  on  Pedagogics.  Chap.  VI.  and  VII. 
Attention  and  Observation.  Francis  W. 
Parker.     E.  S.  Kellogg  &  Co.,  Chicago. 

Study  of  Children's  Interests.  Handbook  of 
111.  Soc.  for  Child-Study.    Vol.  I.,  No.  2. 

The  First  Three  Years  of  Childhood.  Perez. 
A.  A.  Marquis  &  Co.,  Chicago. 


PLAYS  AND  GAMES. 

11  In  childish  play  deep  meaning  lies." 

Expression  of  Activity — 

i.  Bodily.     Experimental.    A  study 

of  environment. 
2.  Mental.    Fancy.     The  social  life. 
The  dramatic  instinct. 
Plays   with — i.  Playthings  —  number,   value     of 
sand,  clay,  dolls,  marbles,  etc. 
2.  Children — 

(a)  When,  where,  to  what  ex- 
tent? 
(J?)  Beginning  of  social  rela- 
tionship. Exercise  of 
governing  power,  gen- 
tleness, generosity,  for- 
giveness, self-control. 

The  early  games  should  assist  the  mental  development, 
for  the  physical  advances  gigantically  without  help; 
later  ones  should  draw  the  physical  up  along  with  the 
mental  which,  by  schools  and  advancing  years,  takes 
the  precedence.— Jean  Paul  Richter. 

LITERARY  REFERENCES. 

Conscious  Motherhood,  Children's  Toys,  page 

234.      Emma    Marwedel,   Interstate   Pub. 

Co.,  30  Franklin  street,  Boston. 
21 


22  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

Talks  on  Pedagogics,  Chap.  I.,  The  Child.  F. 
W.  Parker. 

Froebel's  Mutter  und  Kose  Lieder.  Susan  E. 
Blow.     D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

Home  Occupations  for  Little  Children.  Kath- 
erine  Beebe.    The  Werner  Co.;  price  75 

>  cents. 

Children's  Rights,  Chapters  on  Children's  Plays, 
Children's  Playthings.  Kate  Douglas 
Wiggin.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  Cam- 
bridge. 

The  Story  of  a  Sandpile.  G.  Stanley  Hall. 
Scribner's  Magazine  for  June,  1888. 

Richter's  Levana  and  Autobiograpy,  Chap.  III., 
Games  of  Children. 

First  Three  Years  of  Childhood:  The  Construc- 
tive Instinct,  The  Dramatic  Instinct,  pages 
274-279.     Perez. 

Games  and  Songs  of  American  Children.  Harper 
&  Bros.,  New  York. 

Symbolic  Education.  Chap.  V.,  The  Meaning 
of  Play;  Chap.  VII.,  Pattern  Experiences. 
Susan  E.  Blow.     D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

Education  by  Plays.  G.  E.  Johnson,  Pedagogical 
Seminary.    Vol.  III.,  No.  1. 


CHILDREN'S  FEARS. 

i.  Inherited. 
2.  Acquired. 
Nature  of  Fear — 

i.  Natural      phenomena  :       death, 
storm,  accident. 

2.  The  supernatural:  ghosts,  giants, 

monsters. 

3.  The    undefined  :    terror    in   the 

dark,  shapes,  etc. 
Causes  of  Fear — 

1.  Ignorance. 

2.  Helplessness. 

Cure — Turn  on  the  search-light  of  exact 
information  and  objective  fact  and 
exorcise  the  demon  with  the  modern 
spirit  of  natural  science  and  manual 
training. — Agnes  Sinclair  Holbrook. 

LITERARY  REFERENCES. 

The  Mind  of  the  Child,  Part  I.,  Fear,  pp.  164-72. 
W.  Preyer.     D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

Studies  in  Education,  No.  1,  Fear  in  Childhood. 
Published  by  Earl  Barnes,  Leland  Stan- 
ford University,  Cal. 


23 


24  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

Studies  in  Education,  No.  2,  Children  and  Ghosts. 

Earl  Barnes. 
Handbook  111.   Soc.  for  Childhood.     Fears   in 

Childhood  and  Youth.     G.  Stanley  Hall. 
Transactions  of   111.  Soc.  for  Child-Study,  Fear. 

Vol.  I.,  No.  1. 
The  Child-Study  Monthly,  Fear  in  Babies,    The 

Werner  Co. 
Infant   Mind,   Fear,  pages   22-29.     Preyer.     D. 

Appleton  &  Co. 


PROBLEM  OF  DISCIPLINE- 
PUNISHMENT. 

The  Three  Stages  in  History  of  Race — (See 
''Studies  in   Education,"   No.  II.,  Earl  Barnes). 
Punishment  for  purposes  of — 

i.  Revenge.    "An  eye  for  an  eye, 
a  tooth  for  a  tooth." 

2.  Prevention.       To    frighten    evil 

doers.     Fear. 

3.  Remedy.    Cure.    Cause  in  ignor 

ance  or  disease. 
Recognition    of  the   fact  that   difficulties    of 
moral   training  result   from   combined  faults   of 
parents  and  children. 
Causes  of  Bad  Conduct — 

1.  Physical  discomfort. 

2.  Sense  of  injustice. 

3.  Ignorance  of  result  of  conduct. 

4.  Lack  of  self-control. 

5.  Carelessness. 

6.  Inherent  desire  to  do  wrong 
Result  of  Bad  Conduct— 

1.  Temporary  annoyance  to  others. 

2.  Effect    upon    child's    character. 

Formation  of  bad  habits. 

25 


26  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

Question — To  what  extent  shall  the  parent  per- 
mit the  child  to  feel  the  natural  conse- 
quences of  his  own  conduct? 

LITERARY   REFERENCES. 

Education,  Intellectual,  Moral  and  Physical. 
Chapter  on  Moral  Training.  Herbert 
Spencer.     D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

Discipline  in  the  Family  and  in  the  School  and 
Punishment  for  Weak  Time  Sense.  Earl 
Barnes.  Transactions  of  111.  Soc.  for 
Child-Study.     Vol.  I.,  No.  3. 

A  Study  of  Children's  Rights.  Margaret  Schal- 
lenberger.  Pedagogical  Seminary.  Vol. 
III.,  p.  S7. 

Punishment  as  Seen  by  Children.  Earl  Barnes. 
Pedagogical  Seminary.    Vol.  III.,  p.  235. 

Talks  on  Pedagogics,  Chap.  XIV.,  Social  Gov- 
ernment and  Moral  Training.  Francis 
W.  Parker. 

Richter's  Levana,  Chap.  XII.,  Punishments. 

Child  Nature,  Chapter  on  Punishment,  Eliza- 
beth Harrison. 


RHYTHM. 

Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  work  of 
Miss  Annie  E.  Allen  of  the  Kindergarten  De- 
partment of  the  Chicago  Normal  School  are 
familiar  with  her  manner  of  training  and  success 
in  developing  a  conception  of  rhythm  in  the 
children.  The  beneficent  effect  of  this  training 
upon  those  little  children  who  from  mistakes  in 
home  education  or  other  cause  are  afflicted  with 
self-consciousness,  cannot  be  doubted.  The 
following  suggestive  words  by  her  may  be 
helpful: 

"  Who  that  has  watched  the  movements  of  an 
unconscious  infant  has  not  been  impressed  by 
his  steady  growth  towards  rhythmic  grace? 
All  will  acknowledge  after  the  experience  of 
watching  this  gradual  growth  that  his  first  dis- 
jointed jerking  of  arms  and  legs  is  but  the 
embryonic  expression  of  his  future  free,  physical 
movements. 

4 '  Most  of  this  beauty  and  grace  is  lost;  and 
how?  So  long  as  the  little  child  remains  un- 
conscious of  himself  and  has  perfect  freedom  of 
action,   unhampered    by    clothing    or    constant 

27 


28  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

admonitions  from  the  one  who  watches  over 
him;  is  unembarassed  by  the  opinions  of  those 
around  him,  his  innermost  personality  shows 
itself  to  an  admiring  world.  When  he  is  old 
enough  to  have  control  of  his  body  under  such 
circumstances,  his  voice  rings  true,  his  step  is 
light,  his  gestures  natural  and  beautiful  (always 
provided  his  environment  is  good,  as  he  imitates 
often  to  the  destruction  of  his  natural  expres- 
sion). 

"To  preserve  this  simplicity  and  unconscious- 
ness and  its  accompanying  charm  of  move- 
ment is  a  serious  problem,  but  one  that  merits 
much  thought  and  study  of  the  nature  of  chil- 
dren from  a  physiological  and  psychological 
standpoint. 

"  The  image,  strongly  impressed  upon  the  child, 
of  the  thought  or  interest  of  this  movement 
withdraws  his  attention  from  the  how  he  is  doing 
it  and  steadily  directs  it  to  the  object  of  such 
expression.  For  instance,  let  him  watch  the 
movements  of  a  horse  in  harness,  in  his  stall,  on 
the  street,  when  a  band  is  playing,  etc.  Ask 
him  to  represent  the  different  movements. 
Criticise  his  representation  (not  him);  take  him 
again  to  see  the  horse  and  let  him  unravel  for 
himself  the  truest  way  of  expressing  the  differ- 
ent conditions. 


RHYTHM.  29 


"  If  these  conditions  were  well  expressed,  at  the 
same  time  at  the  piano  with  music,  suggestive  of 
the  different  movements,  it  would  greatly  aid 
the  children  in  expressing  themselves  freely. 
The  co-ordination  of  every  muscle  of  the  body, 
resulting  in  harmony  of  movement,  seems  to 
react  upon  the  child  psychologically  and  free 
him  from  himself. 

"  Certain  rhythms  adapted  to  certain  move- 
ments classify  different  rhythms,  and  this  classi- 
fication at  once  opens  the  way  for  the  apprecia- 
tion and  recognition  of  music,  and  its  physical 
expression  is  to  a  little  child  almost  what  the 
patent  medicine  promises  to  a  sick  person,  a 
cure-all,  but  requiring  as  an  adjunct  an  intelli- 
gent leader  in  its  judicious  use." — Preface  to  Clara 
Louise  Anderson  s  new  book  of  Instrumental  Music 
for  Home,  School  and  Kindergarten, 


HOW  TO  JUDGE  A  SCHOOL  :    SUGGES- 
TIONS FOR  PARENTS. 

WILBUR  S.  JACKMAN. 

I.    The  School  Grounds. 
i.  Size;  do  they  afford  ample  room  for  play 
for  all  the  pupils  ?     Do  the  children  have  to  play 
in  the  street  ? 

2.  Do  the  teachers,  pupils,  or  school  authori- 
ties make  any  attempt  to  have  the  grounds  made 
attractive  in  appearance  ? 

3.  On  which  side  of  the  house  is  the  play 
ground  ?    Are  the  grounds  in  sunshine  or  shade  ? 

4.  Are  the  grounds  devoted  in  any  way  to  the 
purposes  of  instruction,  i.e.,  through  beds  of 
flowers  or  other  plants  ? 

5.  Are  there  shade  trees  ? 

6.  Consider  the  relative  value  of  cinders  and 
grass  for  a  school  yard. 

II.    The  Schoolhouse  ;  from  without. 

1.  Does  it  present  an  inviting  appearance  ? 

2.  Are  the  colors  and  trimmings  in  good  taste  ? 

3.  Is  there  any  attempt  at  architectural  beauty  ? 

4.  Is  it  far  enough  from  all  other  buildings  to 
insure  good  light  ? 


30 


HOW  TO  JUDGE  A  SCHOOL.  31 

5.  Is  it  far  enough  from  public  streets  or  rail- 
roads to  be  free  from  irritating  noises  ? 

6.  Are  the  surroundings  healthful,  free  from 
malarial  and  other  unhealthful  influences  ? 

7.  Is  it  properly  provided  with  fire  escapes  ? 
III.    The  Schoolhouse;  from  within. 

1.  Are  the  children  taught  in  damp  or  poorly 
lighted  basement  rooms  ? 

2.  Does  the  height  of  the  building  require 
much  stair  climbing  ?  Is  the  "rise"  of  the  stairs 
easy  for  children  ? 

3.  How  are  the  corridors  lighted  ?  Is  the  light 
sufficient  ?  Are  there  dark  corners  ?  Are  they 
wide  enough  to  admit  of  easy  passage  for  all  the 
pupils  ? 

.  Are  the  interior  colors  restful  and  pleasing 
to  the  eye  ?  Are  they  adapted  to  the  amount  of 
light  that  is  afforded  ? 

5.  Examine  the  wardrobes;  is  there  a  hook  for 
the  wraps  of  each  pupil  ? 

6.  Is  the  wardrobe  warmed  and  properly  ven- 
tilated ? 

7.  Look  into  it  on  a  wet  day,  while  filled  with 
damp  wraps,  umbrellas,  overshoes,  etc.  Will  the 
children  be  compelled  to  put  on  damp  cloaks 
and  coats  at  the  close  of  school  ?  If  so,  do  not 
charge  colds,  sore  throat,  toothache,  earache, 
pneumonia,  chills  and  fever  to  Providence. 


32  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

8.  Where  are  the  closets  ?  Are  they  properly 
flushed  and  ventilated  ? 

9.  Are  there  basins  where  the  pupils  may  wash 
themselves  ? 

10.  How  are  towels  supplied  ?  Do  different 
pupils  use  the  same  towel  ? 

11.  Ask  for  the  regulations  concerning  the  use 
of  the  washrooms  and  closets  by  the  pupils. 

12.  What  is  the  source  of  the  drinking 
water?     Is  it  filtered? 

13.  What  kind  of  drinking  cups  are  used  ? 
Are  they  kept  clean? 

14.  Is  the  building  well  janitored  ?  Note  the 
ventilation ;  is  it  by  means  of  windows  and  doors  ? 
Is  there  a  "fan  blast  ?"  Is  there  dust  on  the  rail- 
ings and  in  the  corners  ? 

15.  How  often  is  the  building  scrubbed  ?  Are 
there  door  mats  ? 

IV.    The  Schoolroom. 

1.  Is  its  general  appearance  attractive  and  in- 
viting, or  the  reverse  ? 

2.  Note  the  colors;  are  there  curtains  ?  Note 
the  effect  of  the  wall  colors;  are  there  inside 
blinds  ?     Do  they  work  easily  ? 

3.  What  is  the  most  offensive  feature  ?  Could 
it  be  easly  removed  ? 

4.  Is  the  room  clean  ?  Examine  the  windows, 
the  corners,  the  pictures  and  shelves. 


BOW  TO  JUDGE  A  SCHOOL.  33 

5.  How  does  the  light  fall  upon  the  children  ? 
Upon  the  teacher  ?     It  should  be  from  the  side. 

6.  Are  there  dark  corners  in  the  room  ? 

7.  Are  the  desks  of  proper  height  ?  Are  the 
seats  comfortable  ?  If  not,  put  yourself  in  the 
pupil's  place  for  an  hour. 

8.  Are  the  desks  marred  or  unsightly  ? 

9.  Is  the  blackboard  easily  visible  from  all  parts 
of  the  room  ?  Is  it  shiny  or  otherwise  trying  on 
the  eyes  ? 

10.  Is  the  blackboard  of  proper  height  for  the 
pupils  ? 

11.  Does  the  mode  of  heating  the  room  insure 
equable  temperature  in  all  parts  ? 

12.  Does  the  mode  of  heating  and  ventilating 
cause  draughts  which  strike  the  pupils  ? 

V.  The  Teacher. 

1.  Is  his  appearance  in  the  main  prepossessing 
or  the  contrary? 

2.  Note  the  personal  virtues — the  good  taste 
and  cleanliness  in  dress;  the  collar,  tie;  cuffs; 
the  arrangement  of  the  hair;  the  finger  nails; 
the  condition  of  the  shoes. 

3.  Does  he  look  after  the  physical  welfare  of 
the  pupils;  the  ventilation  and  heating  of  room; 
attention  to  draughts;  arrangement  of  curtains 
to  secure  best  light. 


34  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

4.  If  the  children  are  small,  does  he  attend 
properly  to  the  wraps  at  dismissal  ? 

5.  Is  the  teacher  a  good  housekeeper,  i.e., 
are  the  materials  used  in  the  regular  work  ar- 
ranged in  an  orderly  and  economical,  or  in  a 
slovenly  way? 

6.  Note  the  arrangement  of  the  books  upon 
the  teacher's  desk;  also  the  materials  in  cases  or 
closets  about  the  room.  Remember  that  these 
appearances  very  often  out -teach  the  teacher. 

7.  Is  the  teacher  nervous  and  irritable  or  well 
poised? 

8.  Is  the  teacher's  poise  the  repose  of  self- 
command,  the  frigidity  of  an  iceberg,  or  the 
torpor  of  stupidity? 

VI.  The  Teaching. 

1.  Is  the  general  effect  of  the  teacher's  work 
to  throw  responsibility  upon  the  pupils  or  to  re- 
lieve them  from  it  ?  This  is  the  supremest 
test.  If  it  is  the  latter,  move  heaven  and  earth, 
if  necessary,  to  get  a  new  teacher,  or  else  take 
your  children  from  school. 

2.  Are  the  pupils  made  responsible  for  the 
care  and  order  of  the  room?  the  desks?  the 
blackboard?  the  shelves?  the  floor?  the  pic- 
tures? the  work  materials?  the  books? 

3.  Do  the  pupils  question  and  answer  with 
freedom  or  constraint? 


HOW  TO  JUDGE  A  SCHOOL.  35 

4.  Do  the  pupils  all  seem  to  get  equally  fair 
attention  from  the  teacher? 

5.  Does  the  teacher  seem  to  use  the  same  mode 
of  approach  to  all  the  different  pupils?  Note  the 
manner  with  the  rowdy,  the  dolt,  the  precocious. 

6.  Is  freedom  of  expression  encouraged? 

7.  Is  varied  expression  encouraged,  i.e.,  through 
drawing,  painting,  blackboard  work,  writing  and 
modeling? 

8.  Are  the  pupils  given  opportunities  to  do 
things  and  encouraged  to  try?  Is  the  teaching 
directed  chiefly  to  the  learning  of  words? 

9.  Is  the  teacher  sufficiently  critical  of  the 
things  said  and  done  by  the  pupils  to  insure  in 
them  a  cultivation  of  correctness,  accuracy  and 
good  taste? 

10.  Is  a  knowledge  of  the  subject-matter  con- 
sidered by  teacher  and  pupils  in  any  way  imme- 
diately essential  to  the  latter? 

11.  Do  you  find  the  subject-matter  taught  in 
the  schoolroom  bearing  directly  and  imme- 
diately upon  the  pupil's  own  life? 

12.  Carefully  compare  the  material  in  which 
the  teacher  seeks  to  have  him  interested  in 
school  with  the  subjects  of  his  most  lively  inter- 
ests when  the  pupil  is  at  home  or  elsewhere  out 
of  school;  is  the  material  out  of  school  related 
to  that  used  in  school? 


36  HOW  TO  ORGANIZE  ROUND  TABLES. 

13.  What  opportunity  does  the  pupil  have  for 
unrestrained  enjoyment  of  nature — such  as  you 
can  recall  from  your  own  early  experience? 

14.  Can  you  see  specific  ways  in  which  the 
teaching  tends  to  make  the  pupil  better  ac- 
quainted with  those  physical  influences  that 
affect  his  health  and  life? 

15.  Is  he  being  taught  enough  of  nature  to 
enable  him  to  understand,  that  cleanliness,  for 
example,  is  essential  to  health? 

16.  Is  he  being  given  such  social  privileges 
as  will  result  in  a  gradual  development  of  cor- 
rect notions  respecting  rights  of  property? 

17.  Is  the  pupil  being  taught  what  he  ought  to 
do  now  and  how  to  do  it  by  being  brought,  im- 
mediately, face  to  face  and  hand  to  hand  with 
the  things  and  forces  with  which  he  must  always 
deal,  or  is  he  being  belabored  with  words  about 
things? 

18.  Is  the  pupil's  time  consumed  chiefly  in 
doing  or  in  talking?  In  jtidging  or  in  memoriz- 
ing? In  creating  or  in  copying?  Is  he  freely 
expressing  himself,  or  is  he  being  "kept  in  order'? 

VII.  The  Pupils. 

1.  Are  the  pupils  neat  and  clean  in  person  and 
clothes? 

2.  Is  theirpersonal  attitude  towards  the  teacher 
free  or  restrained  ? 


HOW  TO  JUDGE  A  SCHOOL.  37 

3.  Do  the  pupils  respond  promptly  and  pleas- 
antly to  the  call  of  the  duties  imposed  upon 
them? 

4.  Do  the  children  seem  to  feel  that  their 
work  is  an  outgrowth. of  self-need  or  that  it  is 
something  imposed  upon  them  from  outside 
sources? 

5.  Are  they  interested  the  more  in  their  work 
or  in  their  teacher? 

6.  Can  you  measure  the  pupil's  progress  in 
school  by  his  conduct  in  the  home? 

7.  When  you  talk  to  him  at  home,  does  his 
mind  seem  to  be  stored  with  actual  pictures  of 
the  things  studied  in  school,  or  is  he  befogged 
with  words? 

8.  Does  his  school  work  seem  to  be  clearing 
up  his  ideas  of  his  own  personal  relations? 


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